Hook for tailor&#39;s hook and eye



Oct. 14, 1969 BENETEA" 3,471,905

HOOK FOR TAILOR'S HOOK AND EYE Filed Dec. 4, 1967 IN VEN TOR. JOSE/ W 0x61? CWflRZE'f BEA E 72741/ ATTORNEYS.

nited States Patent 3,471,905 HOOK FOR TAILORS HOGK AND EYE Joseph Gscar Charles Beneteau, Riverside, Ontario, Canada, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Textron Inc., Providence, R.I., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 4, 1967, Ser. No. 687,341 Claims priority, application Canada, Dec. 12, 1966, 977,709 Int. Cl. A441) 13/00 11.5. (ll. 24227 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hook for tailors hook and eye having a low silhouette construction and an attached back-up plate member. The lower surface of the hook, which includes a downwardly depending detent, lies substantially flush with the surface of the garment and the back-up plate has a concave configuration whereby the garment material can be displaced away from the lower surface of the hook when an eye member is engaged with the hook.

This invention relates to a separable fastening device, and more particularly to an improved hook member for a tailors hook and eye especially adapted for securing together overlapping portions of articles of wearing apparel.

To fasten together the waistband of trousers or the placket opening of a skirt, manufacturers provide a cooperable hook and eye combination which embodies an eye or loop member attached adjacent to one of the free ends of the waistband or placket opening, and a hook member attached adjacent to the opposite free end of the waistband or placket opening. The two ends of the opening are secured together in overlapped relation, by the insertion of the hook member into the eye or loop with the co-operating hook and eye concealed under the upper flap of the garment.

In prior embodiments, the hook member generally comprises a flat base plate which rests upon the upper surface of the garment material to which it is attached. A tongue member, adapted for insertion into the eye or loop member, is integrally formed along one edge of the base plate and is adapted to lie in a plane spaced above and parallel to the upper surface of the garment material. The hook member is secured to the garment material by a plurality of prongs located about the periphery of the base plate, which prongs are adapted to pierce the garment material and move into registration with corresponding openings in a back-up plate, located beneath the garment material. The tips of the prongs are oflset to lie along the bottom surface of the back-up plate to clinch the back-up plate to the hook member with the garment material located intermediate thereof.

This type of hook does not present a neat appearance on the garment because the tongue member is spaced above the garment, rather than lying substantially flush therewith. In addition, when the garment is pressed in a pressing buck, a book of this type is subjected to forces which tend to destroy the effectiveness of the book by either deforming the hook in a manner such that the tongue is flattened relative to the base plate, or the clinching force of the offset prongs joining the hook member to its back-up plate is reduced and the hook member and back-up plate are then movable relative to each other. It is to an improved hook construction having means for maintaining the hook in an operable condition that the present invention relates.

It is the general object of the present invention to provide a stronger and more durable fastening device of the hook type, which can easily be manipulated to a fastened and unfastened condition and which is not subject to accidental disengagement.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved and simplified fastening device which has a lower silhouette when applied to a garment resulting in the garment being less bulky and having a flat appearance.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved, simplified hook member of a fastening device which is not liable to be easily crushed.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved fastening device of the hook type which is simple and economical in its construction and manufacture and, at the same time, eflicient and effective in its use.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention can be had be referring to the following description and claims taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view of a trouser fly construction with the fly partially open showing the improved hook of the present invention and an eye incorporated With the garment at the waistband thereof:

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the hook taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the eye taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the improved hook of this invention engaged with an eye as when in use on a trouser waistband;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the improved hook of this invention;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the back-up plate for the improved hook of this invention;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the back-up plate taken along line 77 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the back-up plate taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the improved hook of this invention; and

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of an eye taken on the line 1010 of FIG. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings there is shown in FIG. 1 a right leg portion 10, a left leg portion 12 and the usual waistband 14 stitched to the upper ends of these portions. The fly front of the trousers can be closed in any suitable manner such as by a slide fastener 16.

A loop or eye member is attached in any suitable manner adjacent to one meeting edge of waistband 14, whereas a hook member 22 is attached similarly to the other meeting edge of waistband 14 and is adapted to co-operate with eye member 20 to securely fasten the meeting edges of the waistband together to obtain a smooth fitting garment.

The hook member 22 of the present invention, as more clearly shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, is formed from a metallic stamping to lie in a substantially flat plane throughout its length and includes an elongated tongue member 24 located at one end, and a flat base portion 26 located at the opposite end. An integral downwardly depending prong 28 is located on each of the opposed side edges of base portion 26, with a relatively narrow, downwardly offset detent 30, formed out of base portion 26, located substantially intermediate prongs 28. The foremost edge 32 of detent is located closer to the tip of tongue member 24 than is the forward edge 34 of each of the prongs 28.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 6 through 8, a back-up plate 40, which co-operates with hook member 22, is adapted to overlie a backing or stay material 42 located on the underside of the garment material forming waistband 14, beneath hook member 22. Back-up plate has a central recess 44 located therein which is bounded by a rear wall 46, a front wall 48 and side walls 50 and 52. Walls 46, 50 and 52 have a greater slope to each of them, as compared to front wall 48. The upper surfaces adja cent to the peripheral edge of back-up plate 40 lie in a common plane, with the rear edge portion 54 being of a relatively large area. A pair of spaced-apart apertures 56 are located at opposite ends of edge portion 54. An oblong central cutout 60 extends from edge portion 54, across rear wall 46 and front wall 48 to a point adjacent the foremost edge of plate 40.

It should be noted that prongs 28 are located on op posite edges of hook member 22 so that when applying hook member 22, prongs 28 will first pierce waistband 14 and stay 42, and then move into registration with apertures 56 of back-up plate 40. When base portion 26 lies flush against the surface of garment material 42, prongs 28 can be bent over to clinch back-up plate 40 to hook member 22. The width of back-up plate 40 is greater than the width of hook member 22, in plan, so that the upper edges 58 and 59 of back-up plate 40 lying in the common plane adjacent to side walls 50 and 52, respectively, will be positioned outwardly of the side edges of tongue 24 and base 26 of hook member 22. In addition, when hook member 22 is connected to back-up plate 40, detent 30 overlies cut-out 60 with those portions of waistband 14 and stay 42 underlying detent 30 partially displaced into cut-out 60.

Eye member 20, shown in FIGS. 3 and 10, can be formed and attached to a waistband 14 and stay 42 in any number of ways, but for purposes of description herein, eye member 20 includes a bridging member 61, at opposite ends of which there are located downwardly depending prongs 62 adapted to pierce waistband 14 and stay 42 and which can be bent over about an eye member back-up plate 64. Shoulder portions 66, formed integrally midway the length of each prong, abut against the upper surface of waistband 14. Thus, when eye member 20 is securely attached to waistband 14 bridging mem ber 61 is spaced above the upper surface of waistband 14 a distance at least equal to the thickness of tongue 24 of book member 22.

As best shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the free ends of hook member 22 and back-up plate 40 extend away from their connected ends and each is adapted to be elastically deformed a distance suitable for accepting bridging member 61 of eye 20 therebetween. When hook member 22 is inserted into eye member 20, so that the inner edge of bridging member 61 abuts against detent 30 of hook member 22, recess 44 formed in back-up plate 40 will accommodate the garment material 14 therein as well as bridging member 61 of eye member 20. Those side edges 58 and 59 of back-up plate 40 of the hook assembly will sup port that portion of waistband 14 extending therebetween substantially flush with the normal surface of waistband 14, when eye member 20 is not connected to hook member 22 so as to prevent puckering about hook member 22. It should be noted that the spacing between the corresponding edges of hook member 22 and back-up plate 30 is normally of a distance which is greater than the thickness of the material from which eye member 20 is formed.

The resulting structure not only provides a hook member 22 which has a low silhouette to lie substantially flush to the surface of the garment material to which it is attached, but also provides adequate space for an eye member 20 to pass thereunder.

As a result of my invention it will be apparent that this structure provides a hook assembly which is substantially crush proof under compressive loads exerted by a pressing buck, as well as providing a hook member combining neat appearance and functional operation. The compressive load of a pressing buck will be exerted on the hook member 22 in a direction substantially transverse to the plane in which tongue 24 and base 26 lie, and will thus be distributed over a relatively large area. Approximately the same compressive load is exerted upon back-up plate 40 which is attached, and supported by edge portion 54, to base portion 26 of hook member 22. Any load exerted on the hook assembly, and, particularly, back-up plate 40, will be transmitted in a manner to move the free end tip of back-up plate 40 towards the tip of tongue 24 to thereby loosen the engagement of the clinching prongs 28. However, side edge surfaces 58 and 59 as well as side walls 50 and 52 of back-up plate 40, will bear against the lower surface of waistband 14 and stay 42, which in turn Will engage the lower edges of tongue 24 before any excessive movement takes place resulting in the loosening of the engagement of prongs 28. Furthermore, when detent 30 of hook member 22 is in engagement with bridging member 61 of eye member 20, as in FIG. 4, and a force F is exerted on each of the connected waistbands 14, the point of engagement of detent 30 and bridging member 61 is nearer each of the axis along which the force F is exerted, so that the hook assembly is subjected to less bending moment or twisting force than hook and eye assemblies of the prior art. Also, because detent 30 does not bear against any portion of back-up plate 40; it will not be deformed under compressive loads and, therefore, will always project away from the bottom surface of tongue 24 to provoide a suitable stop for eye 20.

In addition, back-up plate 40 and especially side edges 58 and 59 thereof will support the material of waistband 14, with the lower surface of book member 22 lying against the upper surface of the material, so that hook member 22 does not project above the surface and no unsightly attachment results.

As a result of my invention, it will be seen that there is provided a new and improved fastener hook which is strong and durable in its construction and which is less susceptible to the crushing forces of a pressing buck and which also results in a co-oper-ating hook and eye whose point of engagement is closer to the point of attachment of the hook to its back-up plate, thereby reducing the bending moment acting thereon. In addition, the hook member is attractively mounted and secured to a garment to provide a low silhouette without puckering the adjacent garment material, particularly when used with the synthetic garment materials which are extremely thin and of light weight.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to one embodiment and it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described hereinabove and as defined in the appended claims.

-I claim:

1. A hook for a tailors hook and eye adpated to be scured to a garment fabric and to be received in an eye member secured to said fabric, comprising:

(a) a planar member of length greater than width adapted to lie flat on the outer surface of the garment fabric;

(b) detent means on the inner surface of said planar member intermediate the ends thereof engageable with said eye member when said planar member is received in said eye member;

(c) a back-up plate having a planar portion and a concave portion, said back-up plate underlying said planar member on the inner surface of the garment fabric; and,

((1) means rigidly connecting one end of said planar member to one end of said back-up plate at said planar portion with said concave portion directly opposite to said detent means, and with said fabric therebetween, whereby the upper edges surrounding the concavity in said back-up plate holds said fabric against said planar member, with said detent and underlying fabric housed in said concavity when said hook and eye are disengaged and said concavity houses said eye when said hook and eye are engaged.

2. A hook as claimed in claim 1 wherein said back-up plate concavity is substantially rectangular in outline and is of maximum depth adjacent said planar portion of the back-up plate which is connected to said planar member and of minimum depth adjacent the free end thereof.

3. A hook as claimed in claim 1 wherein said concave portion of said back-up plate has an elongated aperture extending longitudinally thereof through which said detent and underlying fabric may project.

4. A hook as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for connecting said hook and said back-up plate comprises prongs extending away from one end of said planar member through said fabric and through apertures in the planar portion of said back-up plate and upset over said planar portion of said back-up plate.

5. A hook as claimed in claim 4 wherein said detent means comprises a downwardly offset detent member formed integrally of said planar member with its foremost edge located ahead of the foremost edge of each of said prongs.

6. A hook as claimed in claim 5 wherein said detent member is located substantially centrally of the width of said planar member and projects downwardly to be accommodated within the concave portion of said backup plate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,603,848 7/1952 Dovica 24227 2,964,817 12/1960 Wood 24227 3,323,187 6/1967 Hoch 24227 BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary Examiner 

